A circuit interrupter is an electrical component that can break an electrical circuit, interrupting the current. A basic example of a circuit interrupter is a switch, which generally consists of two electrical contacts in one of two states; either closed meaning the contacts are touching and electricity can flow between them, or open, meaning the contacts are separated. A switch may be directly manipulated by a human as a control signal to a system, such as a computer keyboard button, or to control power flow in a circuit, such as a light switch.
A second example of a circuit interrupter is a circuit breaker. A circuit breaker is used in an electrical panel that monitors and controls the amount of amperes (amps) being sent through the electrical wiring. A circuit breaker is designed to protect an electrical circuit from damage caused by an overload or a short circuit. If a power surge occurs in the electrical wiring, the breaker will trip. This will cause a breaker that was in the “on” position to flip to the “off” position and shut down the electrical power leading from that breaker. When a circuit breaker is tripped, it may prevent a fire from starting on an overloaded circuit; it can also prevent the destruction of the device that is drawing the electricity.
A standard circuit breaker has a line and a load. Generally, the line is the incoming electricity, most often from a power company. This can sometimes be referred to as the input into the circuit breaker. The load, sometimes referred to as the output, feeds out of the circuit breaker and connects to the electrical components being fed from the circuit breaker. There may be an individual component connected directly to a circuit breaker, for example only an air conditioner, or a circuit breaker may be connected to multiple components through a power wire which terminates at electrical outlets.
A circuit breaker can be used as a replacement for a fuse. Unlike a fuse, which operates once and then has to be replaced, a circuit breaker can be reset (either manually or automatically) to resume normal operation. Fuses perform much the same duty as circuit breakers, however, circuit breakers are safer to use than fuses and easier to fix. If a fuse blows, oftentimes a person will not know which fuse controls which specific power areas. The person will have to examine the fuses to determine which fuse appears to be burned or spent. The fuse will then have to be removed from the fuse box and a new fuse will have to be installed.
Circuit breakers are much easier to fix than fuses. When the power to an area shuts down, the person can look in the electrical panel and see which breaker has tripped to the “off” position. The breaker can then be flipped to the “on” position and power will resume again. In general, a circuit breaker has two contacts located inside of a housing. The first contact is stationary, and may be connected to either the line or the load. The second contact is movable with respect to the first contact, such that when the circuit breaker is in the “off”, or tripped position, a gap exists between the first and second contact.
A problem with current circuit breakers is that they can be relatively bulky, requiring a large profile. The size of the circuit breaker can greatly affect the design of the component the circuit breaker will be integrated into. Specifically, a component or device may not be able to be made smaller due to the relatively large size of the circuit breaker.
As best seen in FIG. 1, a known circuit breaker 100 has a switch 105 that is used to open or close the circuit breaker. In the closed position, electricity is allowed to freely flow through circuit breaker. In case of an overload in the circuit, trip mechanism 145 may automatically trip switch 105, opening circuit breaker 100. Circuit breaker 100 has a first contact 110 which is fixed to the housing of circuit breaker 100. Circuit breaker 100 has a second contact 115 which is movable with respect to first contact 110. In the closed position second contact 115 is directly touching first contact 110. If an overload in the circuit occurs, second contact 115 is moved to a position away from first contact 110.
Circuit breaker 100 has a first terminal 120 and a second terminal 125. First terminal 120 and second terminal 125 are located on opposite sides of the housing of circuit breaker 100. Both first terminal 120 and second terminal 125 include a conductor having a straight portion running in an upward direction. Each conductor makes a 90 degree turn, the conductor from first terminal 120 turning in a direction opposite to that of second terminal 125. Each conductor then makes a second 90 degree turn in the same direction as the first 90 degree turn such that the conductor has double-backed on itself. The conductor then terminates with a screw at which a wire connection can be made.
Terminal 120 is connected to a conductor 130 which runs parallel to the side of circuit breaker 100. Conductor 130 then makes a 90 degree turn to run perpendicular to the side of circuit breaker 100. A fastener sleeve 135 is located below conductor 130 and below plane 165. The fastener sleeve may accommodate a screw, bolt, rivet or the like. Circuit breaker 100 also includes an arc splitter 140 that is perpendicular to the side of circuit breaker 100.
A problem with this known circuit breaker is that its design requires a relatively large profile in the device or component in which the circuit breaker is to be installed. As components get smaller and smaller, tenths of an inch become more important and, therefore, any shrinking of the profile of a circuit breaker is desired.
It is therefore desired to provide a circuit interrupter which addresses these deficiencies.